Marie Curie (1867–1934)

Marie Curie, born on November 7, 1867, was the Polish-born physicist whose pioneering work on radioactivity made her the first woman ever to win a Nobel Prize — and the only person in history to win Nobel Prizes in two different sciences. Her discoveries of radium and polonium reshaped physics and chemistry, and the research she pioneered laid the groundwork for modern cancer treatment.

On her birthday each year, students, scientists and readers remember a woman who faced extraordinary obstacles and changed the world anyway. Her life is a story of determination, curiosity and devotion to knowledge — and a reminder of what science can give humanity.

Who was Marie Curie?

Marie Curie was born Maria Skłodowska in Warsaw, Poland, on November 7, 1867. Poland at the time was not independent, and her family valued education deeply. She was a brilliant student from an early age, but as a woman in the late nineteenth century she was denied access to formal higher education in her homeland.

Determined to study science, she moved to Paris, where she enrolled at the Sorbonne. There she earned degrees in physics and mathematics, and there she met and married the physicist Pierre Curie. Together they formed one of the great partnerships in the history of science, working side by side in a laboratory to investigate a mysterious new phenomenon: the invisible rays given off by uranium.

The word “radioactivity”

Marie Curie coined the term “radioactivity” to describe the emission of rays by certain elements. At a time when the very structure of the atom was still being worked out, she set herself a bold research question: to measure and understand these rays and find out where they came from.

Through painstaking laboratory work, she concluded that the rays came from within the atom itself — a revolutionary idea. The discovery that atoms were not solid, unchanging objects opened the door to modern atomic physics and changed how scientists understood matter.

Two Nobel Prizes in two sciences

In 1903, Marie Curie won the Nobel Prize in Physics, shared with Pierre Curie and Henri Becquerel, for their joint research on radiation. It was the first Nobel Prize ever awarded to a woman.

She did not stop there. In 1911, she won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the discovery of two new chemical elements, radium and polonium — the latter named after her beloved Poland. That second prize made her the first person to win Nobel Prizes in two different sciences, a distinction she still holds alone.

Her discoveries were not just abstract achievements. Radium, in particular, proved to have medical uses, and her research helped found the field of radiation science that would lead, in time, to cancer treatments that save countless lives today.

The “Little Curies” of the First World War

When the First World War broke out, Marie Curie put her science to work for wounded soldiers. She developed mobile X-ray units — portable radiography stations that could be driven to field hospitals near the front lines, so that surgeons could locate shrapnel and broken bones before operating.

These units became known as the “Little Curies,” and Marie Curie herself, along with her daughter Irène, drove and operated them. It was demanding, dangerous work, carried out close to the fighting. For a scientist already famous around the world, it was a striking act of service.

A legacy that saved lives — and cost her own

Marie Curie died in 1934 from aplastic anaemia, a blood disorder likely caused by her long years of exposure to radiation — exposure she could not have fully understood in the early days of the science, when the dangers of radiation were not yet known. She had handled radioactive materials for decades with little protection.

Her legacy is immeasurable. She opened the doors of science to women around the world, showed what patient, careful research can achieve, and gave medicine tools — including X-rays and radiation therapy — that remain essential to this day.

How to mark Marie Curie’s birthday

Here are ways to honour Marie Curie on November 7:

• Read about her life. A biography of Marie Curie is a wonderful way to understand the person behind the prizes — her childhood in Warsaw, her years of study in Paris and her tireless laboratory work.
• Explore radioactivity. Look up how X-rays and radiation therapy work today. The science she founded now diagnoses injuries and treats cancers in hospitals everywhere.
• Visit a science museum. Many museums have exhibits on the history of science where you can learn about her discoveries and the world they changed.
• Celebrate women in science. Share Marie Curie’s story with a student, or learn about the scientists — past and present — who followed the path she opened.
• Give to cancer research. Her research led toward modern cancer treatment; a donation to a cancer charity honours that part of her legacy.

Why Marie Curie matters

Marie Curie matters because she proved that brilliance and perseverance can overcome almost any barrier. A woman who had to leave her country to study went on to become the most decorated scientist of her age.

She matters because her science changed the world. The elements she discovered, the term she coined and the research methods she pioneered reshaped physics, chemistry and medicine.

And she matters because of how she served others. From the Little Curies of the First World War to the cancer treatments that grew out of her research, her work was never only about knowledge — it was about helping people.

Key facts about Marie Curie

• Marie Curie was born Maria Skłodowska in Warsaw, Poland, on November 7, 1867.
• She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize.
• She remains the only person to win Nobel Prizes in two different sciences — Physics in 1903 and Chemistry in 1911.
• She shared the 1903 Physics prize with Pierre Curie and Henri Becquerel.
• She discovered the elements radium and polonium, naming the latter for Poland.
• She coined the word “radioactivity.”
• During the First World War she developed mobile X-ray units, the “Little Curies,” for treating wounded soldiers.
• Her research helped lay the foundations of modern cancer treatment.
• She died in 1934 from aplastic anaemia, likely caused by long radiation exposure.

Frequently asked questions

Why does Marie Curie have two Nobel Prizes?
She won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903, shared with Pierre Curie and Henri Becquerel, and the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1911 for discovering radium and polonium. She is the only person to have won Nobel Prizes in two different sciences.

What did Marie Curie discover?
She discovered the chemical elements radium and polonium, coined the term “radioactivity,” and showed that radiation comes from within the atom — work that reshaped physics and chemistry.

What were the “Little Curies”?
Mobile X-ray units that Marie Curie developed during the First World War to bring radiography to field hospitals near the front lines, helping surgeons treat wounded soldiers.

How did Marie Curie die?
She died in 1934 from aplastic anaemia, a blood disorder likely caused by her many years of exposure to radiation in her laboratory work.

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